Gandhi

A NANTHOLOGY

Edited byLOUIS FISCHER

R A N E> O IMC HOUSENew York

www.gandhimedia.org

First Printing

Copyright, 1962, by Louis Fischer

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American

Copyright Conventions. Published in New York by Random

House, Inc., and simultaneously in Toronto* Canada, byRandom House of Canada* Limited,

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 62 -B458

Manufactured in the United States of America by H, Wolff,

New York

Design by Patricia de Groot

The editor is grateful to the Navajivan Trust of India for permission to use extracts from the writings of Mahatma Gandhi. Theeditor also wishes to thank; Asia Publishing House* for permissionto reproduce excerpts from A Bunch of Old Letters by Jawuharlal

Nehru; Narayan Dcsai, for permission to reproduce excerptn fromThe Diary of Mahadev Desal; Harper & Brothers, for permissionto quote from The Life of Mahatma Gandhi, by Louis Fischer;

and New American Library* for permission to quote fromOandhi; His Life and Message for the World, by Louis Fischer,

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The research for this book

was done by

DEIRDRE RANDALL

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Foreword

No man knows himself or can describe himself with fidel

ity.But he can reveal himself. This is especially true of

Gandhi. He believed in revealing himself. He regarded

secrecy as the enemy of freedom not only the freedom

of India but the freedom of man. He exposed even the

innermost personal thoughts which individuals usually

regard as private. In nearly a half-century of prolific writ

ing, speaking, and subjecting his ideas to the test of

actions, he painted a detailed self-portrait of his mind,

heart, and soul.

Gandhi was a unique person, a great person, perhaps

the greatest figure of the last nineteen hundred years.

And his words have been preserved as they came from

his mouth and pen.

Then let the Mahatma speak. What he said has an in

timate relevance to many of our problems today.

Louis Fischer

Princeton, New Jersey

March 16, 1961

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Contents

HK

PART ONE : THE MAN

i Beginnings of a Great Man 3

2 Gandhi in England 23

3 Gandhi Fails 30

4 The Method Is Born 35

5 The Struggle 65

6 Victory in South Africa 84

PART TWO : THE MAHATMA

7 Facing the British in India 115

8 Segregation in India 132

9 Civil Disobedience Succeeds 138

10 Murder in an Indian Garden 146

11 Non-Violence 152

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12 Gandhi s Road to Jail 163

13 The Power of the Mind 179

14 National Independence h Not Enough 188

15 Gandhi s Message to All Men 198

16 Gandhi s Political Principles 209

17 Belief and Human Welfare 228

18 Sex, Sanitation, and Segregation 239

19 The Liberty March 258

20 How to Enjoy Jail 272

21 Fast Against Indian Prejudice 277

22 Blueprint for a Better Life 283

23 Gandhi on Socialism and Communism 303

24 Gandhi About Himself 308

25 Gandhi s Advice to Negroes 321

26 Love Versus War and Dictators 325

27 "Quit India1

337

28 Independence and Sorrow 350

29 Last Victory 367

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PART I

The Man

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Beginnings of a

Great Man

[To the end of his days, Gandhi attempted to master and

remake himself. He called his autobiography The Story of

My Experiments with Truth, an"experiment" being an

operation within and upon oneself. The following ex

cerpts are taken from the book.]. . , [It] is not my purpose to attempt a real autobiog

raphy. I simply want to tell the story of my numerous ex

periments with truth, and as my life consists of nothingbut those experiments, it is true that the story will take the

shape of an autobiography. But 1 shall not mind if every

page of it speaks only of my experiments. I believe, or at

any rate flatter myself with the belief, that a connected ac

count of all these experiments will not be without benefit

to the reader. My experiments in the politicalfield are

now known, not only in India but to a certain extent to

the "civilized*

world. For me, they have not much value

and the title of Mahatma [Great Soul] that they have wonfor me, has, therefore, even less. Often the title has deeply

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THE MAN

pained me and there is not a moment I can recall when it

may be said to have tickled me. But I should certainly like

to narrate my experiments in the spiritual field which are

known only to myself and from which I have derived such

power as I possess for working in the political field. If the

experiments are really spiritual, then there can he noroom for self-praise. They can only add to my humility,The more I reflect and look back on the past, the more

vividly do I feel my limitations,

What I want to achieve what I have been striving and

pining to achieve these thirty years is self-reali/atioru to

see God face to face, to attain Moksha {Salvationoneness with God and freedom from later incarnations]. I

live and move and have my being in pursuit of this goal.AH that I do by way of speaking and writing, and all myventures in the political field are directed to this sameend. . . -

1

To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truthface to face one must be able to love the meanest of creation as oneself. And a man who aspires after that cannotafford to keep out of any field of life. That is why my devotion to Truth has drawn me into the field of politics andI can say without the slightest hesitation and yet in all hu

mility, that those who say that religion has nothing to dowith politics do not know what religion means/-1

... In the march towards Truth anger, selfishness,

hatred, etc., naturally give way, for otherwise Truthwould be impossible to attain. ... A successful searchfor Truth means complete deliverance from the dual

throng, such as of love and hate, happiness and mis

ery. . . .a

[As] I have all along believed that what is possible forone is possible for all, my experiments have not been conducted in the closet but in the open, , , ,

4

*M. K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth(London: Phoenix Press, 1949), Introduction, pp. xt-xii,

a Ibid., "Farewell/* p. 420.s Ibid., P$rt IV, Chapter 37, p. 288.*

Ibtd.> Introduction* p. xii

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Beginnings of a Great Man 5

The Gandhis belong to the Bania [Businessman] caste

and seem to have been originally grocers. ["Gandhi"

means grocer.] But for three generations, from my grandfather, they have been Prime Ministers in several Kathia-wad {Western India] States. Uttamchand Gandhi,, alias

Ota Gandhi, my grandfather, must have been a man of

principle. State intrigues compelled him to leave Porban-dar, where he was Diwan [Prime Minister] and to seek

refuge in Junagadh fthe nearby little state]. There hesaluted the Nawab [Ruler] with his left hand. Someonenoticing the apparent discourtesy asked for an explanation, which was thus given: "The right hand is already

pledged to Porbandar,"

Ota Gandhi married a second time, having lost his first

wife* He had four sons by his first wife and two by his sec

ond wife. 1 do not think that in my childhood I ever felt

or knew that these sons . * . were not all of the samemother. The fifth of these six brothers was KaramchandGandhi,, alias Kaba Gandhi, and the sixth was TulsidasGandhi* Both these brothers were Prime Ministers in Por-

bandar, one after the other. Kaba Gandhi was my father.

He was a member of the Rajasthanik Court. It is now extinct but in those days it was a very influential body for

settling disputes between the chiefs and their fellow clans

men. He was for some time Prime Minister in Rajkot andthen in Vankaner. He was a pensioner of the Rajkot State

when he died.

Kaba Gandhi married four times in succession, havinglost his wife each time by death. He had two daughters byhis first and second marriages. His last wife, Putlibai, borehim a daughter and three sons, I being the youngest.

My father was a lover of his clan, truthful, brave and

generous but short-tempered. To a certain extent he

might have been given even to carnal pleasures. For hemarried far the fourth time when he was over forty. Buthe was incorruptible and had earned a name for strict im

partiality in his family as well as outside. His loyalty to

the state was well-known. [A British] Assistant Political

Agent [once] spoke insultingly of the Rajkot Thakore Sa-

feeb, his chief, and he stood up to the Insult. The agent

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O T H E M A N

was angry and asked Kaba Gandhi to apologise. This horefused to do and was therefore kept under detention fora few hours. But when the Agent saw that Kaba Gandhiwas adamant he ordered him to be released,

My father never had any ambition to accumulate richesand left us very little property,**** * * * * * *

The outstanding impression my mother has left on mymemory is that of saxntlincss. She was deeply religious.She would not think of taking her meals without her dailyprayers. Going to Haveli -the Vaishnava [OrthodoxHindu] temple was one of her daily duties. As far as mymemory can go back 1 do not remember her having evermissed the Chaturmas fa fasting period similar to Lent],She would take the hardest vows and keep them without

flinching. Illness was no excuse for relaxing them. . . *

To keep two or three consecutive fasts was nothing to her.

Living on one meal a day during Chaturmas was a habitwith her. Not content with that she fasted every alternate

day during one Chaturmas. During another Chaturmasshe vowed not to have food without seeing the sun. Wechildren on those days would stand, staring at the sky,waiting to announce the appearance of the sun to ourmother. Everyone knows that at the height of the rainyseason the sun often does not condescend to show hisface. And I remember days when, at hh sudden appearance, we would rush and announce it to her. She wouldrun out to see with her own eyes, but by that time the fu

gitive sun would be gone, thus depriving her of her meal."That does not matter/ she would say cheerfully, "Cod

did not want me to eat today/ And she would return toher round of duties.*

Of these parents I was born at Porbandar, otherwiseknown as Sudamapuri, on the second October, 1869. I

passed my childhood in Porbandar. I recollect havingbeen put to school. It was with some difficulty that I gotthrough the multiplication tables. The fact that I recollect

nothing more of those days than having learnt, in com-

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of a Gr#o Man 7

pany with other boys, to call our teacher all kinds ofnames would strongly suggest that my intellect must havebeen sluggish and my memory raw.5

I must have been about seven when my father left Por-bandar for Rajkot to become a member of the Rajastha-jiik Court* There I was put into a primary school . . . I

could have been only a mediocre student. From this

school I went to the suburban school and thence to the

high school, having already reached my twelfth year. I donot remember having ever told a lie during this short period either to my teachers or to my schoolmates. I used to

be very shy and! avoided all company. My books and mylessons were my sole companions* To be at school at the

stroke of the hour and to run back home as soon as the

school closed that was my daily habit. I literally ran

back because I could not bear to talk to anybody, I wasafraid even lest anyone should poke fun at me.

{When he grew older, however, he found some con

genial mates and played in the streets. He also played bythe sea.]

fAn] incident which occurred at the examination dur

ing my first ys&r at the high school . * . is worth record

ing, Mr Giles, the [British] Education Inspector, hadcome on a visit of inspection. He had set us five words to

write as a spelling exercise. One of the words was"kettle," I had misspelt it. The teacher tried to prompt mewith the point of his boot but I would not be prompted.It was beyond me to see that he wanted me to copythe spelling from my neighbor s slate for I had thoughtthe teacher was there to supervise us against copying. Theresult was that all the boys except myself were found to

have spelt every word correctly. Only I had been stupid.The teacher tried later to bring this stupidity home to mebut without effect, I never could learn the art of

"copy

ing-"

Yet the incident did not in the least diminish my re

spect for my teacher. I was by nature blind to the faults

of elders. Later I came to know many other failings of this

&Ihid*> Part I Chapter 1, pp. 3-5.

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8 THE MANteacher but my regard for him remained the same* For I

had learnt to carry out the orders of elders,, not to scantheir actions. 6

[But compliance at school did not preclude revolt outside it.]

A [young] relative and I became fond of smoking... we began to steal pennies from the servant s pocketmoney ... to purchase Indian cigarettes. . . .

But we were far from satisfied . . . Our want of inde

pendence began to smart. It was unbearable that weshould be unable to do anything without the elders* permission. At last, in sheer disgust, we decided to commitsuicide!

. . . But our courage failed us. Supposing we were not

instantly killed? And what was the good of killing ourselves? . . .

I realized it was not as easy to commit suicide as to

contemplate it. And since then, whenever I have heard of

someone threatening to commit suicide it has little or noeffect on me.

The thought of suicide ultimately resulted in both of us

bidding goodbye to the habit of smoking . . , and of

stealing the servant s pennies. . . ,7

[Presently, adult matters claimed the child s attention.]... It is my painful duty to have to record here my

marriage at the age of thirteen. As I see the youngsters ofthe same age about me who are under my care, and thinkof my own marriage, I am inclined to pity myself and to

congratulate them on having escaped my lot. I can see nomoral argument in support of such a preposterously earlymarriage.

Let the reader make no mistake. I was married, not betrothed ... It appears that I was betrothed thrice,

though without my knowledge. I was told that two girlschosen for me had died . . .

Marriage among Hindus is no simple matter. TheeIbid., Part I, Chapter 6, pp. 5-6.

*Ibid., Part I, Chapter 8, p, 22.

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Beginnings of a Great Man 9

parents of the bride and the bridegroom often bring themselves to ruin over it. They waste their substance, theywaste their time* Months are taken up over the preparations in making clothes and ornaments and in preparing[menus] for dinners, Each tries to outdo the other in the

number and variety of courses to be prepared. Women,whether they have a voice or no, sing themselves hoarse,even get ill, and disturb the peace of their neighbors.These in their turn quietly put up with all the turmoil andbustle, all the dirt and filth, representing the remains of

the feast, because they know a time will come when theyalso will be behaving in the same manner.

* * I do not think [my marriage] meant to me anything more than the prospect of good clothes to wear,drum beating, marriage processions, rich dinners and a

strange girl to play with. The carnal desire came later.

* . . Everything on that day seemed to me right and

proper and pleasing. There was also my own eagernessto get married. And as everything my father did then

struck me as beyond reproach, the recollection of those

things is fresh in my memory, . . .

[The bride was Kasturbai, the daughter of a Porbandarmerchant named Gokuldas MakanjI. The marriage lasted

sixty-two years.], 1 can picture to myself, even today, how we sat

on our wedding dais, how we performed the Seven Steps,how we, the newly wedded husband and wife, put the

sweet Wheat Cake into each other s mouths, and how we

began to live together. And oh! That first night! Two in

nocent children all unwittingly hurled themselves into the

ocean of life. My brother s wife had thoroughly coachedme about my behavior on the first night. I do not knowwho had coached my wife. I have never asked her about

it. ... The reader may be sure that we were too nerv

ous to face each other. We were certainly too shy. Howwas I to talk to her, and what was I to say? The coachingdid not carry me far. But no coaching is really necessaryin such matters. The impressions of the former birth are

potent enough to make all coaching superfluous. We grad-

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10 TH E M A N

ually began to know each other and to speak freely to

gether. We were the same age. But I took no time in as

suming the authority of a husband*3

... I had absolutely no reason to suspect my wife s

fidelity but jealousy does not wait for reasons. 1 mustneeds be forever on the look-out regarding her movements and therefore she could not go anywhere without

my permission. This sowed the seeds of a bitter quarrelbetween us. The restraint was virtually a sort of imprisonment. And Kasturbai was not the girl to brook any such

thing. She made it a point to go out whenever and wherever she liked. More restraint on my part resulted in more

liberty being taken by her and in my getting more andmore cross. Refusal to speak to one another thus becamethe order of the day with us, married children, I think it

was quite innocent of Kasturbai to have taken those lib

erties with my restrictions. How could a guileless girlbrook any restraints on going to the temple or on goingon visits to friends? If I had the right to impose restric

tions on her, had not she also similar right? AH this is

clear to me today. But at the time I had to make good myauthority as a husband!******* * %

I must say I was passionately fond of her. Even atschool I used to think of her and the thought of nightfalland our subsequent meeting was ever haunting me. Separation was unbearable. I used to keep her awake till latein the night with my idle talk. . . .

... Along with the cruel custom of child marriages,Hindu society has another custom which to a certain extent diminishes the evils of the former- Parents do not allow young couples to stay long together. The child-wife

spends more than half her time at her father s place, Suchwas the case with us. That is to say, during the first five

years of our married life (from the age of thirteen toeighteen), we could not have lived together longer thanan aggregate period of three years. We would hardly havespent six months together when there would be a call to

8Ibid., Part I, Chapter 3, pp. 7-9.

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Beginnings of a Great Man 11

my wife from her parents. Such calls were very unwelcome in those days but they saved us both. . .*

[Gandhi himself lost a year at high school through get

ting married.]... I had not any high regard for my ability. I used

to be astonished whenever I won prizes and scholarships.But I very jealously guarded my character. The least little

blemish drew tears from my eyes. When I merited, orseemed to the teacher to merit, a rebuke^ it was unbearable for me, I remember having once received corporalpunishment. 1 did not so much mind the punishment as

the fact that it was considered my desert. I wept pite-

ously* * * .30

[The] teacher wanted rne to make good the [grade] loss

by skipping [one} a privilege usually allowed to industrious boys. . . . English became the medium of instruc

tion in most subjects ... I found myself completely at

sea. Geometry was a new subject in which I was not particularly strong and the English medium made it still

more difficult for me. The teacher taught the subject verywell but I could not follow him. Often I would lose heart

and think of going back. . . But this would discredit

not only me but also the teacher, because, counting on myindustry,, he had recommended my promotion. So fear of

the double discredit kept me at my post. When, however,with much effort I reached the thirteenth proposition of

Euclid, the utter simplicity of the subject was suddenly re

vealed to me. A subject which required only a pure and

simple use of one^s reasoning powers could not be diffi

cult. Ever since that time geometry has been both easyand interesting for me. 11

[Gandhi likewise had trouble with Sanskrit but after

the teacher, Mr. Krishnashanker, reminded him that it

was the language of Hinduism s sacred scriptures, the fu

ture Mahatma persevered and succeeded.]. I never took part in any exercise, cricket or foot

ball, before they were made compulsory. My shyness was

* /bid., Part I Chapter 4, pp. 10-12.

Ibid.* Part I Chapter 5, p. 13,n /bid., p. 14*

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1# T H E M A N

one of the reasons for this aloofness, which I now see was

wrong. I then had the false notion that gymnastics had

nothing to do with education. Today I know that physical

training should have as much place in the curriculum as

mental training.... I was none the worse for abstaining from exer

cise. . . . I had read in books about the benefits of longwalks in the open air, and having liked the advice I hadformed a habit of taking walks which has still remainedwith me. These walks gave me a fairly hardy constitu

tion. 12

[Mohandas envied the bigger, stronger boys. He wasfrail compared with his older brother, and especially compared with a Moslem friend named Sheik Mehtab, whocould run great distances with remarkable speed. SheikMehtab was spectacular in the long and high jump as

well. These exploits dazzled Gandhi.]. . This [admiration] was followed by a strong desire

to be like him. I could hardly jump or run. Why shouldnot I also be as strong as he?

Moreover, I was a coward. I used to be haunted by thefear of thieves, ghosts and serpents. I did not dare to stir

out of doors at night. Darkness was a terror to me. It wasalmost impossible for me to sleep in the dark . * . Howcould I disclose my fears to my wife, no child but alreadyat the threshold of youth, sleeping by my side? I knew shehad more courage than I and I felt ashamed of myself. . . . My friend knew all these weaknesses of mine.He would tell me that he could hold in his hand live ser

pents, could defy thieves and did not believe in ghosts.And all this was, of course, the result of eating meat.

[The boys at school used to recite this poem.]

Behold the mighty Englishman*He rules the Indian small.Because being a meat-eaterHe is five cubits talL

. . . "We are a weak people because we do not eatmeat" [argued Sheik Mehtab]. "The English are able to

12 1bid., p. 13.

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Beginnings of a Great Man 13

rule over us because they are meat-eaters. You know howhardy I am and how great a runner too. It is because I ama meat-eater. Meat-eaters do not have boils or tumors andeven if they sometimes happen to have any, these heal

quickly. Our teacher and other distinguished people whoeat meat are no fools. They know its virtues. You shoulddo likewise. There is nothing like trying. Try, and seewhat strength it gives/*

All these pleas . . . were not advanced at a single sit

ting. They represent the substance of a long and elaborate

argument. . .

, * I was beaten. . , *

A day was thereupon fixed for beginning the experiment. It had to be conducted in secret. [The family was

strictly vegetarian by religious conviction, and so were al

most all inhabitants of the district.] ... I was extremelydevoted to my parents. I knew that the moment theycame to know of my having eaten meat they would beshocked to death. Moreover, my love of truth made meextra cautious. . . . And having insured secrecy, I persuaded myself that mere hiding the deed from parents wasno departure from truth. 1 ***

So the day came. * . . We went in search of a lonely

spot by the river and there I saw, for the first time in mylife meat. There was baker s bread [with yeast] also. I

relished neither. The goat s meat was as tough as leather.

I simply could not eat it. 1 was sick and had to leave off

eating.I had a very bad night afterwards. A horrible night

mare haunted me. Every time I dropped off to sleep it

would seem as though a live goat were bleating inside meand I would Jump up full of remorse. But then 1 would re

mind myself that meat-eating was a duty and so becomemore cheerful,

My friend was not a man to give in easily* He now be

gan to cook various delicacies with meat and dress them

neatly* * . .

The bait had its effect. I got over my dislike for bread,forswore my compassion for the goats and became a rel-

** Ihitt.. Part I, Chapter 6, pp. 17-18.

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14 T H E M A 3NT

Isher of meat dishes, if not of meat Itself, This went on for

about a year* , *

[I] knew that if my mother and father came to know of

my having become a meat-eater they would be deeplyshocked* This knowledge was gnawing at my heart.

Therefore I said to myself: **Though it is essential to

eat meat . , . yet deceiving and lying to one s father andmother is worse than not eating meat. In their lifetime,

therefore, meat-eating must be out of the question. Whenthey are no more and I have found my freedom, I will eat

meat openly but until that moment I will abstain from it/*

[By now Gandhi developed an urge to reform SheikMehtab. This prolonged the relationship, But the naiveand younger Gandhi was no match for the shrewd, men-led wastrel who offered revolt and adventure*]

. . , My zeal for reforming him . , , proved disas

trous for me, and all the time I was completely unconscious of the fact.

The same company would have led me info faithless

ness to my wife. . . . [He I once took me to a brothel.He sent me in with the necessary instructions. It was all

pre-arranged. The bill had already been paid. . . . I wasalmost struck blind and dumb in this den of vice, I satnear the woman on her bed but I was tongue-tied. Shenaturally lost patience with me and showed me the doorwith abuses and insults, 1 then felt as though my manhoodhad been injured and wished to sink into the ground forshame. But I have ever since given thanks to God for having saved me. . .

14

[About that time Mohandas must have been fifteen-he pilfered a bit of gold from his older brother. This produced a moral crisis. He had gnawing pangs of conscienceand resolved never to steal again.}... I also made up my mind to confess it to niy fa

ther. But I did not dare to speak. Not that I was afraid of

my father beating me. No, I do not recall hfa ever havingbeaten any of us. I was afraid of the pain that I shouldcause him. But I felt the risk should be taken, that therecould not be a cleansing without a confession,

i tbid. 9 Part I, Chapter 7, pp. 19-20,

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of a Great Man 15

I decided at last to write out the confession, to submitit to my father and ask his forgiveness* I wrote it on a slipof paper and handed it to him myself. In this note not

only did I confess my guilt but I asked adequate punishment for it and closed with a request to him not to punishhimself for my offense. I also pledged myself never to

steal in the future.

1 was trembling as 1 handed the confession to my fa

ther. [He sat up in his sick bed to read it.]

He read it through and pearl-drops trickled down his

cheeks, wetting the paper, For a moment he closed his

eyes in thought and then tore up the note. , . . He again

lay down. 1 also cried. 1 could see my father s agony. . ,

Those pearl-drops of love cleansed my heart andwashed my sin away. Only he who has experienced such

love can know what it is. ...This was for me an object lesson in Ahimsa [Love and

Non-Violence]. Then I could read in it nothing more than

a father s love but today I know that it was pure Ahimsa.When such Ahimsa becomes all-embracing it transforms

everything it touches. There is no limit to its power.This sort of sublime forgiveness was not natural to my

father. I had thought he would be angry, say hard thingsand strike his forehead. But he was so wonderfully peaceful and I believe this was due to my clean confession. Aclean confession, combined with a promise never to commit the sin again, when offered before one who has the

right to receive it, is the purest type of repentance. I

know my confession made my father feel absolutely safe

about me and increased his affection for me beyond meas

fLest he give pain to his father and especially his

mother, Mohandas did not tell them that he absented

himself from temple.]JThe temple] never appealed to me, I did not like its

glitter and pomp. . .

... I happened about this time to come across Ma-**

thhL> Part I, Chapter 8, pp, 23-24.

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l6 THE MANmismriti [Laws of Manu Hindu religious laws] which

was amongst my father s collection. The story of creation

and similar things in it did not impress me very muchbut on the contrary made me incline somewhat towards

atheism.

There was a cousin of mine . . . for whose intellect

I had great regard. To him I turned with my doubts, Buthe could not resolve them. * . .

[Contrary to the Hindu precept of non-killing} I also

felt it was quite moral to kill serpents, hugs and the

like, . . .

But one thing took deep root in me the conviction

that morality is the basis of things and that truth is the

substance of all morality. Truth became nty sole objective, . . and my definition of it also has been ever widening.A Gujarati fGandhi s native language} sUinara likewise

gripped my mind and heart. Its preceptreturn goodfor evil became my guiding principle. . . .***

[Gandhi s anti-religious sentiments quickened his in

terest in religion and he listened attentively to his

father s frequent discussions with Moslem and Parsi

friends on the differences between their faiths and Hinduism,]

[The "shackles of lust" tormented Gandhi. They gavehim a feeling of guilt* The feeling grew when sex seemedto clash with the keen sense of duty which developed in

him at an early age- One instance of such a conflict im

pressed itself indelibly,]The time of which I am now speaking is my sixteenth

year. My father - . was bed-ridden [with a fistula]

. , My mother, an old servant of the house and I

were his principal attendants. I had the duties of a nurse,which mainly consisted of dressing the wound* givingmy father his medicine and compounding drugs whenever they had to be made up at home, Every night I

massaged his legs and retired only when he asked me to

do so or after he had fallen asleep, I loved to do thisi*

lMd.> Part I t Chapter !0# pp. 27-30,

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Beginnings of a Great Man 17

service. I do not remember ever having neglected it. Allthe time at my disposal after the performance of the

daily duties was divided between school and attendingon my father. 1 would go out only for an evening walkeither when he permitted me or when he was feelingwell,

This was also the time when my wife was expecting a

baby a circumstance which . * . meant a doubleshame for me. For one thing I did not restrain myself,as I should have done, whilst I was yet a student. Andsecondly, this carnal lust got the better of what I re

garded as my duty to study and of what was even a

greater duty^ my devotion to my parents, . . * Everynight whilst my hands were busy massaging my father s

legs my mind was hovering about the bedroom andthat too at a time when religion, medical science andcommon sense alike forbade sexual intercourse. I was

always glad to be relieved from my duty and went

straight to the bedroom after doing obeisance to myfather.

At the same time my father was getting worse every

day. * . . He despaired of living any longer. He was

getting weaker and weaker until at last he had to beasked to perform the necessary functions in bed. But upto the last he refused to do anything of the kind, always

insisting on going through the strain of leaving his bed.

The Vaishnavite [Orthodox Hindu] rules about external

cleanliness are so inexorable.

The dreadful night came. , . .

It was ten-thirty or eleven P.M. I was giving the mas

sage. My uncle offered to relieve me. I was glad and

went straight to the bedroom. My wife, poor thing, wasfast asleep. But how could she sleep when I was there?

I woke her up. In five or six minutes, however, the

servant knocked at the door. I started with alarm. "Get

up/* he said. "Father is very ill." I knew of course that

he was very ill and so I guessed what"very

ill" meant

at that moment. I sprang out of bed.

"What is the matter? Do tell me!"

"Father is no more."

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l8 TH B M A N

So all was over! I had but to wring my hands* I felt

deeply ashamed and miserable. I ran to my father s

room. I saw that if animal passion had not blinded meI should have been spared the torture of separation from

my father during his last moments. I should have been

massaging him and he would have died in rny arms*But now it was my uncle who had this privilege, . . .

[The] poor mite that was born to my wife scarcelybreathed for more than three or four days. Nothingelse could be expected. . . .

1T

[Kasturbai was illiterate. Her husband had every in

tention of teaching her but she disliked studies and he

preferred love-making.]... By nature she was simple, independent, per

severing and, with me at least, reticent. , . .

[Kasturbai never learned to read or write anythingbut elementary Gujarati, her native language.]... I am sure that had my love for her been ab

solutely untainted with lust she would be a learned ladytoday, for I could then have conquered her dislike for

studies. I know that nothing is impossible for purelove. 18

[When his father died in 1885, Mohandas mothertook advice on family matters from a Jain monknamed Becharji Swami. Jainism prohibits the killingof any living creature, even insects. Jain priests wearwhite masks over their mouths lest they breathe in andthus kill an insect. They are not supposed to walk outat night lest they unwittingly step on a worm.The Jain monk, Becharji Swami, helped Gandhi go to

England.]I passed the [high school] matriculation examination

in 1887. . . .

My elders wanted me to pursue my studies at collegeafter the matriculation. There was a college in Bhav-nagar [a town on the inland side of the Kathiawar^

ibid., Part I, Chapter 9, pp. 24-26.is

Ibid., Part I, Chapter 4, p. H.

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Beginnings of a Great Man 19

peninsula] as well as in Bombay and, as [it] was

cheaper, I decided to go there ... I went but found

myself entirely at sea. Everything was difficult ... I

was so raw. At the end of the first term I returnedhome.We had, in Mavji Dave, who was a shrewd and

learned Brahman, an old friend and adviser of the

family. He had kept up his connection with the familyeven after my father s death. ... In conversation with

my mother and elder brother, he inquired about mystudies. . . *

Joshiji that is how we used to call old Mavji Daveturned to me with complete assurance and asked:

"Would you not rather go to England than study here?"

Nothing could have been more welcome to me. I was

fighting shy of my difficult studies. So I jumped at the

proposal and said that the sooner I was sent the better.

It was no easy business to pass examinations quickly.Could I not be sent to qualify for the medical profession?

My brother interrupted me: "Father never liked it.

He had you in mind when he said that we Vaishnavasshould have nothing to do with the dissection of deadbodies. Father intended you for the bar."*****My mother was sorely perplexed. She did not like the

idea of parting with me. . . .

. . . She had begun making minute inquiries. Someone had told her young men got lost in England. Someone else had said they took to meat, and yet another

that they could not live there without liquor. "How about

all this?* she asked me. I said: "Will you not trust me?

I shall not lie to you. I swear I shall not touch any of

those things. . . ."

"I can trustyou,"

she said, "But how can I trust youin a distant land? I am dazed and know not what to do.

I will ask Becharji Swami."

... He came to my help and said: "I shall get the

boy solemnly to take the three vows and then he can be

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2,0 T H E M A N

allowed togo."

He administered the oath and I vowednot to touch wine, women and meat. This done, mymother gave her permission.

19

With my mother s permission and blessings, I set off

exultantly for Bombay, leaving my wife with a baby of

a few months. . . .

Time hung heavily on my hands in Bombay, I dreamt

continually of going to England.Meanwhile my caste-people were agitated over my

going abroad. ... A general meeting of the caste wascalled and I was summoned to appear before it. I went.

How I suddenly managed to muster up courage I donot know. Nothing daunted, and without the slightest

hesitation, I came before the meeting* The Sheththe headman of the community who was distantly re

lated to me and had been on very good terms with

my father, thus accosted me:"In the opinion of the caste your proposal to go to

England is not proper. Our religion forbids voyagesabroad. We have also heard that it is not possible tolive there without compromising our religion* One is

obliged to eat and drink with Europeans!"To which I replied: "I do not think it is at all against

our religion to go to England. I intend going there forfurther studies, And I have solemnly promised to mymother to abstain from the three things you fear most.I am sure the vow will keep me safe/*

"But we tellyou," rejoined the Sheth, "that it is not

possible to keep our religion there. You know my relations with your father and you ought to listen to myadvice."

"I know these relations," said I* "And you are as anelder to me. But I am helpless in this matter. I cannotalter my resolve to go to England. My father s friendand adviser, who is a learned Brahman, sees no objection to my going to England and my mother andbrother have also given me their permission."

"But will you disregard the orders of the caste?"

**Ibid., Part I, Chapter 11, pp. 30-33.

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of a Great Man 21

"I am really helpless, I think the caste should notinterfere in the matter,"

This incensed the Sheth. He swore at me. I sat unmoved. So the Sheth pronounced his order: "This boyshall be treated as an outcaste from today. Whoeverhelps him or goes to see him off at the dock shall be

punishable with a fine of one rupee four annas" [about

fifty cents].

The order had no effect on me and I took my leave ofthe Sheth. But I wondered how my brother would takeit. Fortunately he remained firm and wrote to assure methat I had his permission to go, the Sheth s order not

withstanding.^[Gandhi bought a steamer ticket, a necktie, a short

jacket and enough food, chiefly sweets and fruit, for the

three weeks to Southampton, On September 4, 1888, hesailed. He was not yet nineteen. Several months earlier,

Kasturbai had borne him a male child and they called

it HarilaL Now the voyage to England gave Gandhi "a

long and healthy separation"from his wife,]

The storm in my caste over rny foreign voyage wasstill brewing [on Gandhi s return three years later]* It

had divided the caste into two camps, one of which

immediately re-admitted me, while the other was benton keeping me out. . . .

I never tried to seek admission to the section that hadrefused it. Nor did I feel even mental resentment against

any of the headmen . . . Some of these regarded mewith dislike but I scrupulously avoided hurting their feel

ings. I fully respected the caste regulations about excommunication. According to these, none of my rela

tions, including my father-in-law and mother-in-law andeven my sister and brother-in-law, could entertain meand I would not so much as drink water at their houses.

They were prepared secretly to evade the prohibitionbut it went against the grain with me to do a thing in

secret that I would not do in public.^o ibid., Part I, Chapter 12, pp. 34-35.

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22 T H E M A N

The result of my scrupulous conduct was that I never

had the occasion to be troubled by the caste, ... I

have experienced nothing but affection and generosityfrom the general body of the section that still regards meas excommunicated. They have even helped me in mywork without ever expecting me to do anything for the

caste. It is my conviction that all these good things are

due to my non-resistance. Had I agitated for being admitted to the caste, had I attempted to divide it into

more camps, had I provoked the castemen, they would

surely have retaliated and, instead of steering clear of

the storm, I should . . , have found myself in a whirl

pool of agitation. , . .21

21ibid., Part II, Chapter 2, pp. 75-76.

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[*]

Gandhi in England

[After arrival in London] I was very uneasy ... I

would continually think of my home and country. Mymother s love always haunted me. At night the tears

would stream down my cheeks and home memories of

all sorts made sleep out of the question. It was impossible to share my misery with anyone. And even if I

could have done so, where was the use? I knew of noth

ing that would soothe me. Everything was strange the

people, their ways and even their dwellings. I was a

complete novice in the matter of English etiquette and

had to be on my guard. There was the additional in

convenience of the vegetarian vow. Even the dishes I

could eat were tasteless and insipid. . . .*

[An English friend] had not ceased to worry about

me. His love for me led him to think that if I persistedin my objections to meat-eating I should not only de-

* M. K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth

Part I, Chapter 13, p. 38.

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24 T H E M A N

velop a weak constitution but should remain a duffer

because I should never feel at home in English so

ciety. . . .

, . . I could see and appreciate the love by which all

my friend s efforts were actuated and my respect for

him was all the greater on account of our differences an

thought and action.

But I decided that I should . , , assure him I wouldbe clumsy no more but try to become polished and[cultivate] other accomplishments which fitted one for

polite society. And for this purpose I undertook the all

too impossible task of becoming an English gentleman.The clothes after the Bombay cut that I was wearing

were, I thought, unsuitable . , and I got new ones... I also went in for a chimney-pot hat costing nineteen shillings [three dollars] an excessive price in

those days. ... I wasted ten pounds [about forty dol

lars] on an evening suit made in Bond Street, the centerof fashionable life in London, and got my good andnoble-hearted brother to send me a double watch-chainof gold. It was not correct to wear a ready-made tie andI learnt the art of tying one for myself. While in Indiathe mirror had been a luxury permitted on the dayswhen the family barber gave me a shave; here I wastedten minutes every day before a huge mirror watchingmyself arranging my tie and parting my hair in the correct fashion. My hair was by no means soft and everyday it meant a regular struggle with the brush to keepit in position. . . ,

2

[Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha, an Indian then a studentin London, recalls meeting Gandhi in February, 1890,in Piccadilly Circus. Gandhi, he says, "was wearing atthe time a high silk top hat burnished bright/ a stiff

and starched collar [known as a Gladstonian], a rather

flashy tie displaying all the colors of the rainbow, underwhich there was a fine striped silk shirt. He wore as hisouter clothes a morning coat, a double-breasted waistcoat and dark striped trousers to match, and not onlypatent-leather shoes but spats over them. He also car-

2Ibid., Part I, Chapter 15, p. 43.

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Gandhi in England 35

ried leather gloves and a silver-mounted stick but woreno spectacles. His clothes were regarded as the veryacme of fashion for young men about town at that timeand were largely in vogue among the Indian youthprosecuting their studies in law at one of the four institutions called the Inns of Court." The Inner Temple,the one in which Gandhi enrolled, was considered byIndians "the most aristocratic," says Dr. Sinha.3]... I directed my attention to other details that were

supposed to go towards the making of an Englishgentleman. I was told it was necessary for me to takelessons in dancing, French and elocution. ... I decided to take dancing lessons at a class and paid downthree pounds as fees for a term. I must have takenabout six lessons in three weeks. But it was beyond meto achieve anything like rhythmic motion. I could notfollow the piano and hence found it impossible to keeptime. ... I thought I should learn to play the violin inorder to cultivate an ear for Western music. So I invested three pounds in a violin and something more infees. I sought a third teacher to give me lessons in elocution and paid him a preliminary fee. . . . He recommended Bell s Standard Elocutionist as the textbook,which I purchased. . . .

But Mr. Bell rang the bell of alarm in my ear and I

awoke.I had not to spend a lifetime in England, I said to my

self. What then was the use of learning elocution? Andhow could dancing make a gentleman of me? The violinI could learn even in India. I was a student and oughtto go on with my studies. I should qualify myself to

join the Inns of Court. If my character made a gentleman of me, so much the better. Otherwise I should

forego the ambition.**This infatuation must have lasted about three months.

The punctiliousness in dress persisted for years. . . ,4

3 Louis Fischer, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi (New York:Harper & Brothers, 1951), Part I, Chapter 3, p, 24.

* M. K. Gandhi, Experiments, Part I, Chapter 15, pp. 43-45.

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26 T H E M A H

... In India I had never read a newspaper. Buthere I succeeded in cultivating a liking for them by regular reading. I always glanced over the Daily News, The

Daily Telegraph and The Pall Mall Gazette. This tookme hardly an hour. I therefore began to wander about.I launched out in search of a vegetarian restaurant* Thelandlady had told me there were no such places in the

city. I would trot ten or twelve miles each day, go into a

cheap restaurant and eat my fill of bread but wouldnever be satisfied. During these wanderings I once hit ona vegetarian restaurant . . .

The sight of it filled me with the same joy that achild feels on getting a thing after its own heart* * * *

I noticed books for sale exhibited under a glass windownear the door. I saw among them Salt s Plea for egetarianism. This I purchased . , . and went straight to

the dining room. This was my first hearty meal since myarrival in England* * . .

I read Salt s book . . . and was very much impressedby it. ... I blessed the day on which I had taken thevow before my mother. I had all along abstained frommeat in the interests of truth and of the vow I hadtaken, but had wished at the same time that every Indian should be a meat-eater, and had looked forward to

being one myself freely and openly some day and to

enlisting others in the cause. The choice was now madein favor of vegetarianism . .

%

A convert s enthusiasm for his new religion is greaterthan that of a person who is born in it. ... Full of the

neophyte s zeal for vegetarianism I decided to start a

vegetarian club in my locality . * * The club went wellfor a while but came to an end in the course of a fewmonths. For I left the locality according to my customof moving from place to place periodically. But thisbrief and modest experience gave me some little train

ing in organizing and conducting institutions^I was elected to the Executive Committee of the

Ibid., Part I, Chapter 14, p. 4LIbid., Part I, Chapter 17, p. 50,

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Gandhi in England 2,7

Vegetarian Society and made it a point to attend everyone of its meetings but I always felt tongue-tied, . , ,

This shyness I retained throughout my stay in England.Even when I paid a social call the presence of half adozen or more people would strike me dumb,****

It was only in South Africa that I got over this shynessthough I never completely overcame it. It was impossible for me to speak impromptu. I hesitated wheneverI had to face strange audiences and avoided making a

speech whenever I could. Even today I do not think I

could or would even be inclined to keep a meeting of

friends engaged in idle talk.

I must say that beyond occasionally exposing me to

laughter, my constitutional shyness has been no disad

vantage whatever. In fact ... it has been all to myadvantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was oncean annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit

has been that it has taught me the economy of words.I have naturally formed the habit of restraining mythoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that

a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or

pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been sparedmany a mishap and waste of time. . . . Proneness to

exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or

unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man and silence is

necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few wordswill rarely be thoughtless in his speech, he will measure

every word. We find so many people impatient to talk,

. , . All this talking can hardly be ... of any benefit

to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shynesshas been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed

me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of

truth.7

Let no one imagine that my experiments in dancingand the like marked a stage of indulgence in my life

. . . even then I had my wits about me. That period7 Ibid., Part I, Chapter 18, pp. 50-53.

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28 T H E M A N

. . , was . . . relieved by a certain amount of self-

introspection on my part. I kept account of every far

thing I spent and my expenses were carefully calculated.

Every little item, such as [bus] fares or postage or a

couple of [pennies] spent on newspapers would be

entered and the balance struck every evening before

going to bed. The habit has stayed with me ever since

and I know that as a result, though I have had to handle

public funds amounting to thousands I have succeeded

in exercising strict economy in their disbursement andinstead of outstanding debts have had invariably a sur

plus balance in respect to all the movements I have

led. . . .

As I kept strict watch over my way of living I could

see it was necessary to economize. , . .a

. . . The thought of my struggling brother who nobly

responded to my regular calls for monetary help deeply

pained me. . . .9

So I decided to take rooms on my own . . andalso to [move] from place to place according to the

work I had to do ... The new arrangement combinedwalks and economy as it meant a saving of fare and

gave me walks of eight or ten miles a day. It was mainlythis habit of long walks that kept me practically free

from illness throughout my stay in England and gave mea fairly strong body.

10

. . . This was also a period of intensive study. Plain

living saved me plenty of time and I passed my examination.

Let not the reader think this manner of living mademy life by any means a dreary affair. . . , The changeharmonized with my inward and outw life. It was also

more in keeping with the means of my family- My life

was certainly more truthful and my soul knew no boundsof joy.

11

[The purpose for which Gandhi came to England re

s Ibid., Part I, Chapter 15, pp. 44-45.Xhid., Fart I, Chapter J$, p. 47,

10 lbtd. f p. 45,11 lbid. f . 47.

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Gandfii in EngJand 29

ceives only a few lines in his reminiscences, far fewerthan his dietetic adventures. He was admitted as a stu

dent at the Inner Temple on November 6th, 1888. Inaddition to law, he learned French and Latin, and

physics.]The curriculum of study was easy . . . Everyone

knew the examinations had practically no value. . . ,

There were regular textbooks prescribed for these examinations . . but scarcely anyone read them. * .

Question papers were easy and examiners were generous. . . [The examinations] could not be felt as a

difficulty.But I succeeded in turning them Into one. I felt I

should read all the textbooks. It was a fraud, I thought,not to read these books. I invested much money in

them. I decided to read Roman Law in Latin. . . , Andall this reading was not without its value later on in

South Africa where Roman Dutch is the common law.

The reading of Justinian* therefore, helped me a greatdeal in understanding the South African law.

It took me nine months of fairly hard labor to read

through the Common Law of England. , . .

I passed my examinations, was called to the bar onthe 10th of June, 1891, and enrolled in the High Courton the 1 1th. On the 12th I sailed for home. 12

[Gandhi does not seem to have been happy in England. It was a necessary interim period: he had to bethere to get professional status. In Young India of September 4, 1924, he said his college days were before the

time "when ... I began life."1S Gandhi was not the

student type, he did not learn essential things by studying.He was the doer, and he grew and gained knowledgethrough action. The G/te, Hinduism s holy scripture,therefore became Gandhi s gospel, for it glorifies ac

tion.]

** IbiA, Part I, Chapter 24, pp. 66-68.*# Louis Fischer, Life of Gandhi, Part I, Chapter 3, p, 28.

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[3]

Gandhi Fails

[At Bombay] my elder brother had come to meet me

at the dock. ...I was pining to see my mother. I did not know that

she was no more in the flesh to receive me. . . . The

sad news was now given me. , . . My brother had kept

me ignorant of her death, which took place whilst I was

still in England. He wanted to spare me the blow in a

foreign land. The news, however, was none the less a

severe shock to me. ... My grief was even greater

than over my father s death. ... But I remember that

I did not give myself up to any wild expression of

grief. I could even check the tears and took to life just

as though nothing had happened.1

My relations with my wife were still not as I desired.

Even my stay in England had not cured me of jealousy.

* M. K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth,

Part II, Chapter 1, p. 73.

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